People warned of COVID vaccine survey scams

Staff and wire report

Montana Senior Medicare Patrol is warning people of a new COVID-19 scam showing up in Montana.

SMP reports it has received reports of an email scam where people are asked to complete a survey. They offer a free reward but ask people to pay a nominal fee “to cover shipping.”

“Survey scams like this are a creative way to steal your identity or money,” SMP said in a press release. “Many survey scams offer a reward and give you a limited time to respond if you want to take the survey. A legitimate survey would not assign a time limit, nor would they ask for your credit card or bank account to pay for a reward.”

The release said scammers know people have received vaccines and are capitalizing on it. It warns people not to give out sensitive information, adding that fake surveys can be used for a myriad of uses; to steal information, collect data to commit identity theft, or even install malware on a computer when people click on a link in an email.

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the vaccine companies — Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson — are directing all vaccine recipients to enroll in the CDC V-Safe program as a post-vaccine monitoring mechanism at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/safety/vsafe.html , the release said, and no other survey being recommended at this time.

People are urged to contact Montana Senior Medicare Patrol at 1-800-551-3191 if they have responded to this or a similar vaccine survey email.

And this is just the latest in a series of scams trying to take advantage of people dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General began months ago alerting the public about fraud schemes related to the novel coronavirus.

“Scammers are using telemarketing calls, text messages, social media platforms, and door-to-door visits to perpetrate COVID-19-related scams,” a document on the HHS website said. “Fraudsters are offering COVID-19 tests, HHS grants, and Medicare prescription cards in exchange for personal details, including Medicare information. However, these services are unapproved and illegitimate.”

The personal information collected can be used to fraudulently bill federal health care programs and commit medical identity theft, the document said.

HHS urged people to protect themselves, including being mindful of how they dispose of COVID-19 materials and records, saying improper disposal of items could be used by bad actors to commit fraud.

Other recommendations and warnings from HHS include:

• Offers to purchase COVID-19 vaccination cards are scams. Valid proof of COVID-19 vaccination can only be provided to individuals by legitimate providers administering vaccines.

• Photos of COVID-19 vaccination cards should not be shared on social media. Posting content that includes date of birth, health care details or other personally identifiable information can be used to steal people’s identity.

• People should be vigilant and protect themselves from potential fraud concerning COVID-19 vaccines. People will not be asked for money to enhance their ranking for vaccine eligibility. Government and state officials will not call people to obtain personal information in order to receive the vaccine.

• Beneficiaries should be cautious of unsolicited requests for their personal, medical, and financial information. Medicare will not call beneficiaries to offer COVID-19 related products, services, or benefit review.

• People should be suspicious of any unexpected calls or visitors offering COVID-19 tests or supplies. If people receive a suspicious call, they should hang up immediately.

• People should not respond to, or open hyperlinks in, text messages about COVID-19 from unknown people.

• People should ignore offers or advertisements for COVID-19 testing or treatments on social media sites. If they make an appointment for a COVID-19 test online, they should make sure the location is an official testing site.

• People should not give their personal or financial information to anyone claiming to offer HHS grants related to COVID-19.

• People should be aware of scammers pretending to be COVID-19 contact tracers. Legitimate contact tracers will never ask for a Medicare number, financial information, or attempt to set up a COVID-19 test for anyone and collect payment information for the test.

• People who suspect COVID-19 health care fraud are urged to report it immediately online at https://oig.hhs.gov/fraud/report-fraud or call 800-HHS-TIPS (800-447-8477).

The Federal Trade Commission has information echoing the Health and Human Services recommendations:

• Learn how to tell the difference between a real contact tracer and a scammer. Legitimate tracers need health information, not money or personal financial information.

• Don’t respond to texts, emails or calls about checks from the government.

• Ignore offers for vaccinations and miracle treatments or cures. Scammers are selling products to treat or prevent COVID-19 without proof that they work.

• Be wary of ads for test kits. Many test kits being advertised have not been approved by the FDA, and aren’t necessarily accurate. Almost all authorized home tests don’t provide rapid results and require you to send a test sample to a lab for analysis.

• Hang up on robocalls. Scammers are using illegal robocalls to pitch everything from low-priced health insurance to work-at-home schemes.

• Watch for emails claiming to be from the CDC or WHO. People should use sites like https://www.coronavirus.gov and https://www.usa.gov/coronavirus to get the latest information. And people should not click on links from sources they don’t know.

• People should do their homework when it comes to donations and never donate in cash, by gift card or by wiring money.